Advice for a First Time DM

[Raistlin1040]

So, here's the set-up. I've been itching to play some D&D recently, but my old group reformed an hour or so away from where I live, so playing with them isn't likely. I'm thinking I can convince some of my friends to play, especially the Lord of the Rings-obsessed ones, but I don't really know how to DM. I know how to write a story and such, but I don't know a whole lot about balancing, proper amounts of XP to give, making sure nothing is too hard, or even really how to explain to them how to play in a way they can digest quickly. We would be playing 3.5. I own a DMG, but I'd like advice from other DMs.

[Tyndmyr]

Grab a DMG, if you don't have one already. All those topics are covered in there, and while the rules for them aren't perfect, they're the best way to get by until you've got the experience to wing it.

[Raistlin1040]

Right, I mentioned that I have one, but I'd also like some misc. tips. I feel like it'd be easier to dive into the DMG with some frame of reference from others.

[Swordgleam]

There's an entire blog with tips aimed especially at new DMs, though he's playing 4e right now, most of the advice is the same: http://newbiedm.com/

My main advice is this: as long as everyone's having fun, don't worry about it!

And be ready to adjust things on the fly to keep the fun going. Accidentally gave the party an encounter way too hard? Consider fudging some HP or die rolls - it's less noticeable than a deus ex machina, and (usually) more fun than a TPK. Party is mowing down hordes of enemies? That's fun for a while, but throw a few extra baddies into the next encounter.

And do the "yes, and" thing that's a big part of improv acting. Player says, "I wonder why the NPC did that? Could it be that [plot idea]?" Steal that idea!

[Myou]

I started DMing not long ago, and I found that the best thing to do is open with a module, such as Scourge of The Howling Horde (which seems designed with first-time DMs in mind and was realy easy to run). It take away all the pressure of what items and XP to give out, and how to moderate the difficulty of the challenges.

Don't worry about balancing - just look at thier characters to make sure no-one is deliberately playing something hugely broken (things like an incantatrix in a fighter - rogue - healbot party), then let actual gameplay show you who is and isn't powerful.

The best way to each them is to walk them through a simple fight, then just jump into the game after that, so they can learn as they play. Don't worry about remembering everything - things like obeying the rules don't matter as long as you and the players have fun.


I find that the vital thing as a DM is to just relax and play things by ear.
Encounter too hard? What luck, here come a third faction to take the pressure off you. Enemy can't hit the players? He drinks a potion and gains a bonus to hit rolls. You can even make up while subplots and sidequests on the spur of the moment and players will never even know.

[Raistlin1040]

I'm not worried about broken players, since I doubt any of them will have experience. I know I have a module around here somewhere, might be worth a closet search to find...

Edit: Yep, Sunless Citadel.

[The Dark Fiddler]

Something I've learned is that CR can sometimes be a crapshoot. It's a bit more work, but using humanoids with class levels instead of monsters can make things a bit easier to balance.

[Swordgleam]

I'm not worried about broken players, since I doubt any of them will have experience.

Then you might have the opposite problem - characters that are nearly useless. My first ever character was a 1st ed mage who didn't know magic missile, because I didn't know any better. (At least I took sleep.)

I would suggest having your first session be a one-shot or a module with premade characters. Make relatively simple 1st level builds that are about equal in usefulness, and let your friends pick. (Make about 1.5x as many as you have players.) That way, they can get a feel for how the game works before they make a commitment to a character.

[DabblerWizard]

So, here's the set-up. I've been itching to play some D&D recently, but my old group reformed an hour or so away from where I live, so playing with them isn't likely. I'm thinking I can convince some of my friends to play, especially the Lord of the Rings-obsessed ones, but I don't really know how to DM. I know how to write a story and such, but I don't know a whole lot about balancing, proper amounts of XP to give, making sure nothing is too hard, or even really how to explain to them how to play in a way they can digest quickly. We would be playing 3.5. I own a DMG, but I'd like advice from other DMs.

This link is a great place to start.

http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=76474


Here's another link if you want to encourage your players to create a background. Pick a maybe 10 or 20 questions you want them to answer, to start.

http://www.miniworld.com/adnd/100Thi...ackGround.html


I'm sure other forum-goers can tell you more about mechanics. If you were playing 4.0 I would suggest reading through the PHB 1 because it gives a lot of mechanics relevant to the players and their skills. I don't think the PHB 1 for 3.5 does that though.

I am much more interested in the psychology behind table top games. Dungeons and Dragons isn't just about rules and dice and character sheets. It has a lot to do with group harmony, team work, social skills, expressing emotions, and behaving civilly, to name a few things.

If you look back far enough, you'll find many a topic concerning my horrible DM does this, and my terrible player decided to do that. Overall, all of those topics have a lot to do with players and DMs not treating each other fairly.

Some general rules that are good for DMs (and players):

-- When one person speaks, other people don't interrupt
-- Never belittle or put down another player
-- Don't be afraid to take advice
-- Don't let another player make your decisions for you
-- Listen to what your players have to say
-- Make sure to get everyone's input, frequently (some players don't speak up) both in-game and out-of-game.
-- Be patient and calm, but speak out against rude, childish, and otherwise uncalled for behavior

Other suggestions:

Figure out what kind of campaign / adventure you're going to run, and let them know before hand.

roleplay vs. roll play
low vs. high magic
low vs. high fantasy
low vs. high power
serious vs. silly tone
mature vs. family friendly themes

Plan out a few encounters, including setting, major characters, background for what's going on, potential outcomes for what happens depending on what direction players choose to go.

That's just a start, but I hope those suggestions are helpful. Enjoy the game!

[Tyndmyr]

Mmm, yeah, an easy scenario is a great starting point. Just grab modules and go...there's a fair number of freebies online to get started with.

Once you've been playing for a while, ask your players what they like, and what they want more of. Games will naturally evolve over time, embrace it.

[Soranar]

Advice, well here are some tips that might help

party size 3-5
anything bigger can get insanely long to play
get figurines and hex grids (Lego blocks can do if you don't have anything), it really simplifies everything instead of drawing on a piece of paper

characters
ask your players what they intend to play and help them make their characters if they lack experience, if everyone isn't optimized you might make TPK by accident , it also greatly helps roleplay if you can find something better than : you all meet in an inn

don't plan too much
people are unreliable , things like : "I attack the darkness" are common, expecting them to follow your rails won't always work so don't spend too much time on your plan

clear minds
playing can be hard enough when you're knew, you might as well be sober : keep alcohol and other mind-affecting things (like drugs and pretty members of the opposite sex) away from your players until they get a feel for the game

enjoy
if you're not having fun, you're doing it wrong

[Kelb_Panthera]

If you're intent on whipping up your own adventures here's a few things to keep in mind.

1) fun is WAY more important than the rules.

2) loot doesn't start to have a truly notable impact on play until about level 5.

3) the WBL table (dmg pg 135) is your friend, as long as everybody has a level appropriate armor, cloak of resistance, and ability booster for their main ability, and nobody's off by more than 30% from either the table or the other players you'll be okay.

4) players will do the unexpected when you least expect it. Don't go too deep into detail with your planning, generally just having the major characters for the arc you're on and how they behave toward each other and in general is usually enough.

5) the tables describing the interaction between CR's and encounter level and encounter difficulty on DMG pg 49 are very helpful once you understand them.

For DM'ing in general:

1) Fun is way more important than the rules.

2) Don't pull any punches once they've got the mechanics down. I'm not saying that you should be trying to kill them, but make sure the consequences of an action are appropriate to the action.


DISCLAIMER: these are the things that I've found to be true in my game. YMMV.

[Katana_Geldar]

It's a lot about the actual doing, you will learn far more in your first ever session of play than what any blog or forum post will tell you.

A module is good to start with as you can focus on the mechanics as well as take a closer look at the module and see how XP and encounter level are done. Also, make it short as your first outing as a DM you'll no doubt want to tell your own story in your own campaign soon enough.

If you're with very new players, a pre-rolled character for them is probably not such as bad idea to begin with as they can learn to play first and then understand why certain feats, abilitie scores, etc. are important. Then, once you know they are committed, help them create a character.

Perhaps the best bit of advice is to not be too hard on your self. DMing is very demanding on you mentally, as you head needs to be in about five places at once. Trust yourself to make decisions on the fly, try not to look up rules mid-game as it stops the action and leaves everyone waiting, don't be afraid to make it up for the moment and then go back to RAW, but explain to the player first.
And don't be afraid to give yourself five minutes to write something down, just say "You guys talk in-character for a minute, I need to work something out."

Read the table, see what's going on with the players, what they like and don't like doing. Ask them what sort of game they would be interested in playing and try and cross it with the game you would be interested in running. You also need to be alert for the time to call for breaks and when to finish the session, just not mid-encounter!

As for planning, you need to find what works for you, just don't over do it.

[Raistlin1040]

I think, having secured two players, that there is no way we're going to be able to get together and play in person. This means I'll likely have to set up a forum and we'll play by post, hopefully with a time set for dedicated playing (Sundays from noon to four, get on and we'll do a lot) and then spend the rest of the week with posting when we can. I hope this'll make it a bit easier on me, since I won't have to make as many split-second decisions.